On Him His Crown Will Shine

(A Hymn from Psalm 132)

On him his crown will shine,
David’s Lamp, Heaven’s sun,
Promised Horn lifted high,
Risen and seated One.
The LORD’s sworn oath is sure,
The throne shall be pure white.  
The Head once crowned with thorns,
Will rule adorned with light.

Arise, O LORD; go to your rest.
Be crowned with Lord Messiah’s crest,
This prize of Heaven’s King divine. 
On Jesus Christ the crown will shine.

On him his crown will shine,
Who hardships did endure,
Who swore no sleep to have,
Till dwelling place secure.
Jacob’s Mighty Fortress
Upheld his weary Son,
Till eyes closed in triumph,
And dwelling had been won.

Arise, O LORD; go to your rest.
Be crowned with Lord Messiah’s crest,
This prize of Heaven’s King divine.
On Jesus Christ the crown will shine.

On him his crown will shine,
Who satisfies the poor.
The Bread of Life gives feast:
His joy forevermore.
And also clothes his saints,
In robes that bear no blame.
Not so his foes will fall,
Exposed and clothed in shame.

Arise, O LORD; go to your rest.
Be crowned with Lord Messiah’s crest,
This prize of Heaven’s King divine.
Oh, Jesus Christ, your crown will shine!

Notes: 

Before our morning staff prayer time the other day, we read Psalm 132. Instantly, I was taken captive by the song’s last verse which predicts the glorious rule of Jesus Christ: “His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine” (ESV). 

I immediately thought to write a hymn built around those last six words. In fact, I was so convinced that this was the perfect lead-in to a hymn that I was almost certain one must already exist with this title. Upon a quick internet search, I was relieved to find otherwise.  

All of the imagery in this hymn comes from Psalm 132.

The first verse of the hymn takes its imagery from verses 17-18 (the anointed lamp and horn for David) and 11-12 (the sworn oath to receive the throne). 

The second verse of the hymn finds a typological parallel between David’s tireless determination to establish a “dwelling place” for the Lord (v. 1-5) and Jesus’ same determination (v. 13-14) that required the weary path of suffering and redemption. The line, “Jacob’s Mighty Fortress upheld his weary Son,” has a double meaning. On the one hand it refers to Jesus’ reliance on his Father throughout his ministry (John 5:19). On the other hand it refers to Jesus being held up on the cross as an offering for the sins of the world (John 3:15; Romans 3:25-26). 

The third verse of the hymn celebrates Messiah’s eternal provision for his people who receive his “bread” and “clothing” (v. 15-16). These are in contrast with the outcome of Messiah’s enemies who are “clothed in shame” (v. 18).

The chorus of the hymn echoes the driving desire of the psalmist expressed in verse 8–to see the promised vision of the psalm become a final reality: “Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place.” May Jesus come back soon, rescue his people, defeat his enemies, and unleash the blazing glory of his regal crown!